In the Fall/Winter ’15 edition of the Babesta Beat fashion hits a high note with band tees, record-sized polka dots and rebellious prints. Including the latest from Mini Rodini.

We paired newbie Molo with the fanciful prints of Nobdinoz and our own Babesta exclusive. Riffing off the omnipresent grades in restaurant windows city-wide, we present our own “Grade Pending” tee, def a must-have for school-aged kiddos. Our seal is pretty stylish, we think, with headphone-donning eagles, flanked by skateboards and kicks.

Friends of Duane Park in conjunction with Friends of Bogardus Garden hosted their annual Inside TriBeCa Loft Tour featuring deluxe residential spaces and for the first time a commercial loft joined the bunch. Being a first-timer I was not quite sure what to expect but the tour provided as much insight into prime real estate as it did a tour of the TriBeCa ‘hood. Being a self-guided tour participants could view the 8 units at their leisure and linger for as long as they wanted between 1-5pm on a gorgeous albeit chilly Sunday afternoon. Deciding to hit the tour in the planned route, we explored north to south from Laight Street to West Broadway at Chambers street.

Laight Street: Was a beaut and definitely set the tone for the lavishness to come throughout the day. Bringing new meaning to the word spacious in New York city the multi-floor penthouse featured views of St. John’s Park and One World Trade, a huge JR painting in the dinning room, 3 Banksy pieces and a two-story wine cellar.

Hudson Street: This wild card was the only commercial space chosen to be included in the tour. Washington Market Pediatrics is the friendliest doctor’s office around. Filled with engaging examine rooms each exquisitely designed to bring a smile to young patient’s faces hides the feeling of being at a doctors office. Instead kids are transformed to the ocean, safari or even among dinos. The piece de resistance was the entire story of “The Little Engine That Could” sprawled out on the waiting room(playroom) accent wall. The entire office, the vision of interior designer Diana Mui and Dr. Tiffany Otto Knipe, garnered exclamations of “beautiful,” “awesome” and “I wish I was a kid!”

Franklin Street: This welcoming, open and bright space left no corner undone; featuring fabulous details at every turn. You could not miss the spiral staircase in the center but the light fixture over the kitchen island and Polaroid picture display in the powder room were equally not to be missed touches of design inspiration.

Leonard Street: Only walk-up off the bunch, this loft felt the most traditional of the bunch. With a narrow staircase that lead to a picturesque loft bedroom the artist has more room in the painting studio half of the apartment, keeping the Bohemian lifestyle alive and well.

West Broadway: Showcasing the keen design of Brad Ford, the final apartment we saw on the tour was a prime example of how to create a soothing home amid the hustle and bustle of NYC. We were wowed by the solid granite soaking bathtub that accentuated the overall calmness yet livableness of this loft. Plus we couldn’t help but notice of the Staple street Skybridge family portrait or Oeuf and Spot on Square furniture and Yummy World Plush accents in the children’ rooms (Babesta faves)!

Inside TriBeCa Loft Tour spotlighted some of the biggest, boldest and brightest Tribeca has to offer. Friends of Duane Park scored over $22K for charity and made for an exciting day for interior design and architecture buffs and novices alike, generating real estate envy in all. Opportunely made for a parents only afternoon, TriBeca Loft Tour, featured true stunners with infinity pools, dine-in-kitchens to die for, to the coolest lofts retaining their original artist edge.

Children of all ages throughout NYC will have the chance to unleash their imagination and join together to discover the artist inside. Embodying their mission to spread arts education, ProjectArt Everywhere, will takeover forty-five venues across NYC and create pop-up art studios this Saturday October 17th from noon to 3pm.
With the ability to reach hundreds of New York children, participants can contribute a quick doodle or an elaborate portrait-the city is literally your canvas! Pop-up studios include the Bushwick library, Grand Concourse library in the Bronx, the Washington Heights branch of the NYPL and the Broadway branch of the Queens library.

The cherry on top of this creative & collaborative ice cream sundae? The canvases generated will be displayed right here in lower Manhattan on October 20th. Stop by 10am to 8pm at The Hole Gallery, 312 Bowery, to view (for free!) the 75 artworks included in the panoramic exhibition.
Interested in joining forces with ProjectArt Everywhere? The nonprofit organization will hold their ProjectArt 2015 Gala doubling as a sneak peak of the panoramic exhibition on October 19th 2015 from 6pm-9pm.

Travel back in time to the smooth sounds of jazz while embracing the sky-lit 8th floor gallery at the Whitney; relishing in the paintings of Archibald Motley. The Jazz-Age Modernist is the subject of one of the selected inaugural exhibits appearing at the newly opened Whitney Museum. A crucial figure in the Harlem Renaissance, Motley, born in New Orleans, uses a mix of expressionism and social realism to depict modern life in the 1920’s.

New York’s favorite doughy treat gets art star status as the subject of a public art installation, presented by Kiehl’s and Art Production Fund, thanks to Swedish artist, Hanna Liden. Everything, a collection of large sculptural bagels, will be on display at Hudson River Park through the fall. The city icon has been a staple in Liden’s life since she first came across the breakfast bread while living in the Chelsea, hotel, almost twenty years ago. According to Liden, “the bagel-a circle with no beginning and no end- is evocative of the eternal cycle of city life.” Adding her own punk spin, she spray paints the bagel with black, signifying the city’s grime.

“Keep yourself in motion. Don’t focus on the destination just the movement,” says Rachel Faucett, publisher, maker and cofounder of DIY blog Handmade Charlotte. Faucett combined the laser focus and drive she learned from playing professional tennis and created a crafty force to be reckoned with. She dazzles with her kids’ craft project creations for Etsy & Anthropologie and contribuites to brands like Disney Interactive, Martha Stewart, Joann’s and Michael’s. Turning her passion into a full-time career, Faucett has established a destination blog for families looking for the coolest rainy day projects, delicious recipes and all-around creative inspiration. In the works this season are found object color wheels, pom pom, acorn, leaf & gourd crafts. Faucett shared a fun fall project with Babesta, so roll up your sleeves and get crafting!

DIY LEAF ANIMALS:
what you need: BLACK & WHITE MARKERS, LEAVES, & LOTS OF IMAGINATION!
directions:PRESS LEAVES IN A BOOK (recommended leaves: Tulip & Maple, leaves from a common grapevine). Take a good look-What Animal Do You See?
Animals with ears work well b/c of the leaves’ shape.
Transform the leaf into a fantastic fox, curious cat or an omnipotent owl.
Display and play!

It was a madhouse during the MOVE fashion & art event at Brookfield Place this past weekend! Although Friday was a bit umbrella-upturning with hints of Joachim, Sat & Sunday were perfect days for families to hit the mall lifestyle center and partake in the fun participatory activities from gender-bending makeovers, fashionable carnival type games, or walking the red carpet with some handsome soap opera starlugs building their quads escorting swoonerz down a red carpet to the flashing lights of the “paparazzi.”

During the event, Babesta offered up some hands-on fun in-store (as well as black and white cookies & libations) – as we invited shoppers to participate in building our windows! On one side, we had the newest hottest gift for holidays debuting super sized! Pirasta’s coloring posters were showstoppers, inspiring both “color within the line-types” and “free spirits” to stop and color with us. On the other side, we debuted the new uber cool Bugaboo Denim x Diesel stroller that sat atop a denim drop cloth. We invited shoppers to help us “Distress to Impress”. We brought all the implements you’d need and we ripped, painted, grated, cut and tweezed the denim into stylish submission!

Miffy, the cherished girl bunny, has been delighting children since her inception in 1955. This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the beloved character. Miffy officially became 60 years young on Sunday, June 21st, and premiered her movie in London’s West End. The beloved bunny, however, deserves more than just one day, why not a parade? The Miffy Art Parade has no less than 60 statues designed in the bunny’s honor by esteemed artists and will be touring worldwide. Throughout Japan and Holland, where Dick Bruna created Miffy, more than half a decade ago, the statues are on display to delight Miffy fans. Since March, one by one, a new Miffy doll has been revealed. The final statue shown, designed by Marte Röling of Holland, (Miffy’s birth place), is all in gold.
Another Miffy favorite was designed by two New York based artists Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin using florals, Drew Barrymore and Lara Stone (a Holland model) for an inspirational mashup. While some statues have replicas for you to snatch up, the original statues will be auctioned off for UNICEF after the tour is completed this October. Happy Birthday Miffy!

We had a blast celebrating the AKid x MiniMode launch of a fab new sneaker replete with cool emoji patches in poppy yellow and soft blue. So many friends there – from style wunderkid London Scout and mom Sai to editors of Vogue, In Style, Downtown Mom, Passported (formally Feather & Flip) and more. The Phhhoto booth was a bit of fun – capturing quick gifs for Instagram of the crowd – kid & adult alike – having a blast with the awesome new kicks from one of our absolutely favorite shoe brands, Akid!

Get ready for a selfie and explore all corners of comics at New York Comic Con (NYCC). Meet your favorite characters, dress up and release your inner geek (everyone’s doing it) for an event celebrating pop culture’s best anime, comic, gaming and superhero characters. Sunday, Oct 11 is the first NYCC’s Kids Day, where children ages 6-12 can enter for $5. If you did not get your fill of “DMC” at Sneaker Culture he will be appearing all 4 days at NYCC along with Castle’s Nathan Fillion. Selfie stick not allowed!October 8-11, 2015, Javits Center